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Addicted to Processed Foods?

Apr6

Many of the foods we reach for when we get stressed out are packed with sugars, fats, preservatives,  salt, and myriad other substances, some of which we cannot even pronounce.

Food addicts rarely crave celery, carrots, or broccoli when the triggers click. We are more likely to go for chips, candy, cookies, ice cream, or other snacks that are high in sugar,  fats, and sodium.

Unfortunately, these foods are highly processed and full of additives that may cause a food addict to crave them even after the emotional stress has eased.

Processed foods are readily available. You can grab a package of lunchables, a bag of chips, a package of wings and a soft drink,  a slice of pizza, or a pint of Ben & Jerry’s at a drugstore, gas station, or supermarket at any time of the day or night.

This presents a few problems. For one, you don’t have a lot of time to consider your decision. Fast food, a fast decision. Then there are the aftereffects like gas, bloating, upset stomach, lack of energy.

Food is supposed to give you energy, not take it away, something to consider when making a food choice. All those additives may contribute to your food addiction by affecting hormones in the body.

Overeating prepared foods with lots of fillers, salt, corn syrup, dyes, and MSG (which has many names and can be found in numerous processed food items) can cause bloating and weight gains of as much as 10 pounds overnight.

The best way to avoid overeating junk foods is to prepare your own food, but since many people have gotten spoiled by convenience foods that you just pop in the microwave for a few minutes, another suggestion might be to just cut back.

If you eat packaged foods every day, cut back to twice a week. Cook a meal three times a week and use the leftovers in creative ways for lunches and healthy snacks.

When you buy chips, buy a small package instead of the economy size so when you eat the whole bag, it will be only one or two servings.

Wean yourself off sodas which are usually very in sodium that can cause you to retain fluid and try flavored water or iced tea, or watered down juice.

If you’ve been eating deli foods and other prepared foods for any length of time, it may be hard to go back to regular foods.

Carrots and broccoli don’t have to be smothered in a fatty ranch dressing to give them flavor. They already taste good–well, the jury’s still out on broccoli.

If you think you’re addicted to processed foods, you may be right. Make a pot roast and take a roast beef sandwich to work for lunch. Add a few strawberries or an apple with some cheese.

Treat yourself to a nutrient rich meal that tastes good. You could get used to it. After all, everyone deserves a healthy body.

Healthy Eating Promotes Weight Loss

Mar25

Have you ever noticed how often the words “healthy” and “balanced” are used in the same sentence? When it comes to food, these are very important words.

Here is a short YouTube video with some great information about what foods you need to eat in order to have a balanced diet. I hope you enjoy it.

If you’re interested in learning more about raw foods and how they can help you lose the weight and keep it off, click here.

Food Addictions and Additives

Mar18

They don’t make food like they used to. That’s because “they” didn’t make it. We did. Where were the food addictions when food came from a backyard garden or a local farm or meat locker?

Where did we turn when stress set in? There was a choice, and usually it was a physical activity like shooting hoops or taking a walk around the block.

No one went to their room and watched TV or turned up the music or video game. If that were to have happened, you’d get a different kind of exercise like running to escape a possible “whupping” as it was called in the old days.

No one thought of eating to combat stress.  What possible emotional relief could be gained from shoving a bunch of radishes or a couple of ears of corn in your face? Now, if there was ham in the smoke house, that was a different story.

The thing is, when we ate food when I was growing up, it was real food. And maybe that’s why we didn’t see so many food addictions and so much emotional eating. We had real stress but we also had real food.

Added sugars, fats, salt, corn syrup, and all kinds of dyes and preservatives change the nature of food. Those additives may have something to do with food addictions, just as additives in cigarettes have been proved to have addictive properties.

One of the best things a person can do to get off the treadmill of food addiction and emotional eating is to start cooking. Prepare meals that don’t come from a box, bag, or can. Use natural ingredients to concoct your own creative dinner.

In other words, know what is in the food you are eating. And what better way to know than to cook it yourself?

To some, that may sound drastic, and it does take a little more work, but it is definitely worth it. Make some homemade soup with a few chunks of lean beef, a couple of stalks of celery, a can of whole tomatoes–they tend to do well in soups–a couple of onions, a carrot or two chopped up to sweeten the pot, and one or two potatoes cut into chunks.

All you need to season soup is an herb salt like Herb-a-Mare, some fresh ground pepper, and a little Mrs. Dash seasoning. You can add a small amount of balsamic vinegar or wine to enhance the taste, if you like.

If you eat this healthy, delicious soup alternately with whatever else you eat, you will notice a difference in the way you feel.

So, today’s tip is know what’s in your food. Don’t allow someone else to make every food decision for you. When you eat only processed foods, candy, sweets, chips, and heat-and-eat meals, that’s what you’re doing.

Do what you can to cut down on the additives in your food. It may help you to get rid of your food addictions and it will certainly be better for your health.